Change Breakdown Calculator
Break a change amount into Brazilian banknotes and coins (R$ 200, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2, 1, coins). Useful for cashiers and simulators. Everything in your browser.
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How change calculation works
The base rule is change = amount_paid − amount_due. To break that change into bills and coins, this tool uses a greedy algorithm: it iterates from the largest denomination down (BRL bills R$ 200, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2; coins R$ 1, 0.50, 0.25, 0.10, 0.05) and picks the largest unit that still fits the remaining amount. Example: change of R$ 87.45 → 1×R$ 50 + 1×R$ 20 + 1×R$ 10 + 1×R$ 5 + 1×R$ 2 + 0×R$ 1 + 0×R$ 0.50 + 1×R$ 0.25 + 2×R$ 0.10. The greedy approach works for the Brazilian currency system, but in general it is not optimal for arbitrary coin sets — irregular systems require dynamic programming (the classic "coin change" problem).
Applications
Point of Sale (PDV) systems, open-air markets and small retail (mental change calculation), supermarket cashier float planning, and automated change dispensers (vending machines, parking meters). Also useful for teaching elementary arithmetic and introducing greedy algorithms in computer science courses.
FAQ
Why no R$ 1 bill? The R$ 1 banknote stopped being issued in 2005; only the coin circulates today.
Is greedy always optimal? No — for arbitrary coin sets (e.g. {1, 3, 4} with target 6) greedy gives 4+1+1 = 3 coins, but 3+3 = 2 coins is better. For Brazilian and most major currencies the greedy result is provably optimal.
What about R$ 0.01 coins? They still exist legally but the Central Bank stopped minting them in 2018; rounding to the nearest R$ 0.05 is common practice.
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Break change into notes and coins
Anyone working a till has to know, all day long, how many notes and coins make up an amount, and drilling that math never hurts. The calculator takes a change amount and splits it into the fewest possible bills and coins of the Brazilian real.
The amount gets spread across every denomination in circulation. For notes, R$ 200, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5 and 2. For coins, R$ 1 and the cents. Cashiers, retail simulators, school exercises in financial math, or plain curiosity about how an amount breaks down: it covers all of those.
The calculation happens in the browser itself. Enter the change and the leanest composition of notes and coins shows up right after.